The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-25
Aunt Amanda's Heroism.

News of what, but for timely interven-
ton, might have been an accident similar
to the terrible wreck at Chatsworth, ILL.,,
on Thursday morning, was brought to the
city yesterday morning by some travel.
lers. at about the same hour the dread.
full calamity occurred at Chatsworth
Amanda Barker, an aged negress, was
walking along the track of the Cincin-
natl, Hamilton and Indianapolis Road,
near GleDwood, Ind, on her way to a
farmhouse, where she was towork during
the day. She had just passed the small
station at Glenwood, which is lonely,
dismal spot between indianapolis aud
Connersville, frequented only occasion.
ally by the farmers living around, when,
on turning sharp curve in the road, she
was horrified to see some distance ahead
the smoulding remains of what had
short while before been q stout, substan.
tial bridge connecting embankments $50
feet apart, and spanning chasm 95 feet
deep.
The old negress could not collect her.
self for several moments, but it suddenly
dawned upon her that a train generally
passed that point some time in the early
morning. She had no idea what time it
was or when the train was due, but she
knew that it was a fast one and never
stopped at Glenwood. She turned her
steps backward, intending to flag the
train at the station, but had gone scarcely
a hundred yards when she heard the
shrill scream of the whistle, as she
thought, directly ahead of her. 1t was
the East bound lightning express, due at
Glenwood at 5:45 o'clock. She tried as
hard as she could to get around the bend
which obstructed the train from view, all
the time tearing and tugging away at an
old brown apron she wore, which she
wanted to use as a signal flag. Stumb.
ling and falling, she was kept back con.
siderably, but she finally broke the apron
strings, which never seemed SO tightly
tied before, and, almost dropping to the
earth with sheer exhaustion, she rounded
the bend and saw the train laundering
down upon her, only few hundred feet
ahead. The burning bridge was about
the same distance behind her, and she
knew that to let the train pass meant
certain death to many Of the souls on
board. Raising the improvised flag high
above her head, she forgot her exhaustion
and waved it frantically, standing in the
centre of the track, where her presence
could not go unnoticed. For while it
seemed to her that no one saw her, but
she kept her position, determined to stop
the train or die on the track.
At last the engineer saw her and re-
versed his engine, bringing it to a stand
still few yards in front of the old
woman. Leaning out of the cab win.
dow, and thinking the negress drunk or
crazy, he called out:
"Well, well, what is it?"
"For Gods sake, mister" she an.
swered, "don't 60 any further. The
bridge is burned down and it is right in
front Of you; indeed it is"
The trainnen had by this time been
attracted by the stoppage at this out of
the way place to the front of the train,
and from the sincerity of the old woman,
believed her story. A number of them
followed her around the bend and there
verified the truth of her statements. A
large purse was made up for their bene.
factress, but she positively refused to
take any money. When one of the ladies
noticed the apron she still carried in her
hand and how it was torn and ruined,
she produced from her satchel in the car
a lawn wrapper and begged the old
negress, who was model of neatness, to
wear it. She accepted the dress, and
when the passengers saw she would take
this kind of gilt garments of all kinds,
sizes and shapes were showered upon her
by the grateful passengers. and she
seemed more pleased than if she had
been the first lady in the laud.-Louis.